Saturday

Remember the other night when Daphne correctly identified me as "da-da-da" and Jennie as "ma-ma-ma"? Well, it was most likely a fluke as she called me "ma-ma" numerous times today. That's okay... I have been called worse! hehehe

Daphne is going through a phase right now where she prefers to be held and cuddled. If you put her down, she cries briefly and extends her arms up in the air. After a few moments pass, she begins playing with her toys and forgets why she was upset...

Daphne fell asleep on my chest for a little "tummy time" this afternoon (check out the last photo below):

Thursday

MAJOR MILESTONE: As of this evening, Daphne can properly identify me as "Da-da-da-da" and Jennie as "Ma-ma-ma-ma". Jennie's parents witnessed Daphne achieve this incredible feat after we ate dinner together. Nothing melts my heart more than Daphne tenderly smiling at me while proclaiming, "Da-da-da-da".

Uh oh, Daphne discovered a new trick today! Early this morning, Daphne decided to taste and carry handfuls of dirt throughout the house. After Jennie had turned away for a split second, Daphne began gardening and feasting on a buffet of potting soil! Needless to say, we now have to remove all the plants from our living room.

Monday

Daphne continues to test our baby proofing skills each day. She is constantly looking for a new cabinet to raid, a plant with leaves worth tugging, furniture to bang her toys against, or a decorative "objet d'art" to carry around the house. Finding a box of Saran Wrap in the Ficus Tree is not unusual...

While her little runny nose and hoarse cough breaks our heart, the illness has not slowed Daphne down one bit. She is still getting into everything! Yesterday, she learned how to pull leaves off of house plants and play with decorative candles scattered throughout our house. More baby proofing is necessary.

I have been a little swamped lately (with chores and work) and forget to blog. Many apologies...

Sunday

We spent all day spring cleaning the house (vacuuming up dog hair, steam cleaning a few old random pee spots, etc). Naturally, I still see Maggie's spirit running through the house, taking naps by the couch, and I occasionally hear the noises of her ghost in our house...

Daphne has a new trick -- she likes to gnaw on our furniture! We are trying our best to discourage this behavior and luckily, our furniture is already distressed by design. She continues to teethe with no end in sight.

Here are some new photos of Daphne lounging around the house in her pajamas this afternoon:

Tuesday

Guess what? Daphne has six teeth! She has four little chompers on top and two on the bottom. We brush Daphne's teeth each night before bed with one of those little rubber brushes that slides over your index finger. She giggles throughout the entire brushing.

Today, Daphne had a routine eye appointment with an opthamologist. Her eyes appear to be functioning normally with no issues (other than a mild case of anisocoria). Sometimes, her right pupil dilates slightly a little more than the left one. But, her vision should not be affected -- in fact, my pupils are slightly different sizes at times as well. Otherwise, our princess is a perfect little peach...

Our puppy dog of 10 1/2 years, Maggie, has been accepted into the Cairn Terrier Rescue Program and will be leaving us this Friday evening. While we are terribly sad to part with her, we believe this to be the right decision for our family. Maggie has become a "biter" or "devil dog" in her old age and has drawn blood with her forceful jaws on more than one occasion. Luckily, she has only bitten four adults and one child thus far.

A few weeks ago, she nipped at Daphne and we threw in the towel. As much as we love Mag-dog, our daughter's health and well-being are far more important. Keeping Maggie confined in a small, metal crate and constantly separated from Daphne is not a good life for a depressed, old dog or her family. So, she is going to a good foster home for dogs where she will live out the remainder of her life playfully.

The hardest part of it all is that the rescue program will legally sever all ownership ties to us -- so, she will be gone for good. We will NEVER see her again. Ever.

Sunday

Daphne is growing like a weed! In case we have a second daughter, Daphne's old clothes are being carefully retired to the attic in Rubbermaid containers. It seems like she outgrows outfits weekly...

Daphne's walking has improved this past week. Now that she has mastered crawling, she prefers to walk and it shows. Her confidence has increased with bending over, turning around in mid-stride, and she even tries to run a few steps from time to time.

Thursday

Jennie has been feverishly planning Daphne's first birthday celebration. Let me know if you have not received your personal Evite invitation and I will see that you get one... We really hope you will attend and eat cake! Daphne has plenty of toys, so no gifts are necessary.

Daphne received her Christmas presents from Grandma Marge and Aunt Tammy on Tuesday. Here are some new photos of Daphne unwrapping her gifts...

"Thank you" notes will be mailed out very soon for the wonderful, holiday gifts.

Saturday

Daphne's chompers are beginning to peek beneath her upper lip when she smiles. Her "Bugs Bunny" grin is absolutely adorable...

As of today, she has only four teeth (3 upper, 1 lower). A buddy of mine quickly pointed out to me that Daphne now has more teeth than many Southerners. hehehe

Daphne has a new game she likes to play called "bonk". If you gaze into her blue eyes and say "bonk", she gently bumps her noggin into your forehead. It might become one of those cute little games we dread we ever encouraged. Another favorite game we play is called "stinky kisses". If you hear Daphne produce some flatulence, just ask her if she's blowing you stinky kisses. She immediately giggles uncontrollably. There's nothing like encouraging crude behavior, eh?